Let’s dust off the ol’ blog, shall we? While going through cancer treatments in 2024, and lifestyle adjustments in 2025, I really backburnered this blog. But I had the thought today that I wanted to write about normal life stuff again. I’m just gonna start talkin’ and see what comes out.
Earlier this year I was invited to join a sci-fi book club, and we’re meeting again tonight to discuss Recursion by Blake Crouch. My fourth book with the club and first Blake Crouch novel, though I understand he’s a very popular author in his own right. Crouch’s writing style in this novel was really quick, short, punchy sentences and light detail for characters and settings. At the same time, I was juggling a novel by Tim Clare called The Honours and Tim loves detail and texture. I enjoyed reading Clare’s writing more than Crouch’s — Clare used so many fascinating word choices and everything felt so vivid. At the same time, Crouch’s style validated my own tendencies while writing, which is to run fast and loose with detail.
I guess, on my own, I don’t imagine things in a very concrete way while reading! A while back there was that buzzy quiz going around to determine whether you’re a Visualizer or Conceptualizer while reading things and I surprised myself to learn I mostly read in concepts rather than images. I’m surprised because, y’know, I like making art and stuff. But even in a long novel I’m hard-pressed to nail down what I think the main character looks like if they haven’t been given concrete details (and probably more than once). In Recursion I’m not sure if one of the main characters is ever really described, physically, and it wasn’t until I was a good distance into the novel before I even realized it.
So, while working on bits and pieces of a novel of my own, I was getting after myself for not appealing to the senses and getting real detailed in each scene. Then I read Crouch and though, ooh! Famous, well-established authors don’t necessarily do that either. So I’m probably okay!
Thing I Saw: Lots of small aeroplanes buzzing the town, recently. I grew up on a farm near a small airport and used to see planes come and go all the time from our yard. I wonder when I lost my own sense of delight and wonder about seeing a plane, the way my 5-year-old currently has. “AIRPLANE!”, he shouts with glee.
Thing I Learned: Although controversial, the new 3D-CGI art style for the Bluey movie was a decision made by the original creative team, not one that was inflicted on them by Disney, who are only distributing the movie. I still think it’s a downgrade — the show is absolutely gorgeous — but I’m much more willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, now.
I’m Grateful For: A finished kitchen renovation! Our house was in disarray for basically two months, but we’ve been moved in and enjoying our new kitchen space for a few weeks now.
Cassidy and I are very into Snail’s House at the moment